Chiefs have maintained ‘consistent contact’ with draft prospect at tight end

Miami Hurricanes tight end Brevin Jordan has been in consistent contact with five teams, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network. They are the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and yes, the Kansas City Chiefs.

At this writing, the Chiefs have four tight ends still on the roster behind the starter in five-time All-Pro Travis Kelce: Nick Keizer, Deon Yelder, Ricky Seals-Jones and Evan Bayliss.

• Keizer, 25, registered 302 offensive snaps (27%) and 223 special-teams snaps (51%) for the Chiefs in 2020. On nine regular-season targets, Keizer had six catches for 63 yards. Keizer is an exclusive rights free agent.
• Yelder, 25, registered 194 offensive snaps (18%) and 89 special-teams snaps (20%) for the Chiefs in 2020. On 11 regular-season targets, Yelder had seven catches for 36 yards. Pro Football Focus considered Yelder a better blocker than Keizer in 2020, and we know the Chiefs like him. Yelder is a restricted free agent.
• Seals-Jones, 25, registered six offensive snaps (1%) and five special-teams snaps (1%) for the Chiefs in 2020. He is not expected to be back after signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs last offseason.
• Baylis, 27, is a former 2017 undrafted free agent who has had a limited number of offensive snaps in his career. Baylis was most recently a member of the Arizona Cardinals, who used him in five games this past season before demoting him to the practice squad. The Chiefs signed him to a reserve/futures contract earlier in February.

What becomes obvious after reading about the current tight ends on the Chiefs roster is that the team could use additional depth at the position. If Kelce were suddenly unavailable, there would be quite a drop-off.

So the interest in the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Jordan makes sense, but there could be even more to it, suggests our draft team:

Thoughts from the AP Draft Team (Kent Swanson)

The interest in Brevin Jordan is interesting from a Chiefs perspective. He isn’t a direct replacement for someone like a Nick Keizer or Deon Yelder. Jordan is not the same level of in-line blocker that the Chiefs have recently employed at TE2; in fact, it’s far from a strength. He’s a dynamic pass-catcher and route-runner — a chess piece that provides versatility and immense upside as a viable offensive weapon. The talent is undeniable with Jordan — but I’m curious what that means for the outlook of the offense moving forward if they have heavy interest in a move tight end — especially considering Travis Kelce is already the most dynamic player at his position.

Jordan combined for more than 1,000 receiving yards in three years at Miami. In his most recent season (2020), he finished with 38 catches for 576 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Chiefs are projected for eight picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday, April 29. Perhaps one of the selections will be Jordan.